proverb · Legacy record
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying shifts shame from the deceiver to the person deceived when deception happens twice. It urges learning, but places a harsh judgment on repeated trust.
What the words are saying
Once and twice make responsibility appear to change by count alone. A useful application can review warning signs and protective choices without transferring blame for deception to its target. Circumstances, available information and the deceiver’s conduct still matter.
Everyday example
Someone reviews a broken promise and changes an arrangement without treating being misled as a moral failure.
When to use it
Use it to discuss learning from deception without blaming its target.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Repeated deception remains the deceiver’s conduct; count alone does not assign fault.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
United States
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 147; PDF page 25
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.